Upedging means for fruit sizers



Marh 19, 1929.

E M. WAYLAND UPEDGING MEANS FOR FRUIT SIZERS Filed May 16, 1928 Inventor 21/17. WayZar/d Patented Mar. 19, 19 29.

T UMTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

EDWIN m. WAYLAND, or GOVESVILLE, VIRGINIA.-

urnneme iviEA s iron FRUIT sIzERs.

Application filed May 16,

,My contemporary application for patent filed November 2,1927, Serial N0.' 230,555,

which eveiituated in Patent -No. 1,696,056, dated December 18, 1928, discloses upedging means for fruit sizersv In common with the invention of said prior application, the'ob'je'ct of mypresent invention is to increasethe'efiiciencyand accuracy of fruit sizing apparatus by the provision of upedging means for developing or ejecting means'so as to assure gaging and ejection on the maximum diameter of the apple or tangerine transverse vto the core thereof." v 'v To the attainment of the foregoing, the present invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings formin part of this'specification: H i I Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a portion of a fruit sizer,designed nore especially for sizing apples, and' equipped with my invention. r j Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the plane-indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1, looking toward the right,

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figure 1 i v illustrative .of the mddificationhereinafter explicitly referred to.

.Similar numeralsdesignate corresponding parts. in Figi res l and 2 of the drawings to which reference will first be made. y Among other elements, the illustrated embodiment of my invention'comprises a lon- 'gitu'dinal overhead frame portion 1, and a longitudinal trough 2, the SIClGS of which latter may be equally inclined, as illustrated, or may be unequally, inclined, in the discretion of themanufa'cturer and without affecting my invention. y I

Said; apparatus also comprises a'longitu- 1928. Serial No. 278,189.

gaging and ejecting means maybe employed without departure from the invention; A

sizing belt 5 is employed on one side-of the trough 2, and from the said side of the trough-2 extends an inclined deckfi on which is a distributing belt 7; The sizing belt 5 and the distributing belt? are in practice driven in the direction indicated by thelarge arrowfin Figure 1. In furtherance of the invention disclosed herein I employ gravitational upedgers which are arranged as shown in Figure 1 s0 as to engage the apples, or other fruit elements before the apples or other fruit elements reach the gaging and ejecting means 4. i

In the present invention the upedgers are nthe form of gravitational flexible bags 8,

material designated by 9 so that the bags 8 may be properly described as having'lower weightedportions. At their upper ends, the v fiexible'bag's 8 which are preferably of canyas are connected to transverse'b'ars 10," as indicated by 11, Figure 2. The said'bars' '10 tion as shown.

are attached to the longitudinal frame p0rthelower portions'iof' which contain heavy It will be noted that the upedgers 8 are free to swing or oscillate on'the transverse bars 1 0, and while I show the u'pedgers as capable of vertical oscillation or swinging,

without materially affecting the efficiency of V the upedgers.

8 are designed to engage and frictionally contact with and-bear on apples approaching the gagi-iigand ejecting means 4 so as to give rise to spinningof the apples so that As their designationimports, the upedgers assuredlythe gaging and ejection of the-' apples by the means 4 will be on the maxi V mum diameters of the apples,tranverse to the cores thereof. v

It is desirable. to feed apples from a hop-' per to the sizing belt 5"at oneend of the apparatus, this because it is cheap and gives rise to high capacity. The mode of feeding alluded to is, I however, obj ectionable. because I the initial velocity of the apples as they reach the sizing belt is too'high 'and results in fiat'riding ofthe apples. 'Myupedging.

means develops: friction between theapples and thesizing belt'ithe application ofpressure to the apples from ab0ve,-0r from a point opposite to the sizing belt 5, with the result that the apples are caused to spin and consequently Will be presented to the gaging.

and ejecting means in such fashion that gaging and ejection on the maximum diameter of the apple-i. e., transverse to the cores thereof, will be assured. 7

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that by serving the purpose ascribed tot-hem, the upedgers will obviate the necessity of employing costly and cumbersome feed belts for theside feeds; and itvvill also be appreciated'thatthe provision of upedging means as 8 in the relation defined will ma terially enhance the efliciency and accuracy of the sizing apparatus, when non-spherical fruit elements such'as apples are sized.

' In the modification illustrated in Figure 13, the upedger 8*, attached to the transverse bar 10, is in the form of a flexible strip belting or other appropriate material, and the lower portion of the said bolting strips or flexible strips is Weighted as designated by 9*, the weight being in the form of a disc or in any other appropriate form, and of anyappropriate material, and being disposed at the opposite sides of t1eiie1ible strip 8* with reference to the sides-thereof that is opposed to apples moved on the sizing belt 5, in thedirection of the largearrow in Figure 3. The upedger 8* is for the same j j bearing on and frictionally engaging appios purpose and is designed. to operate in identically the same manner as the upedger 8 oi. Figures 1 and 2.

In the type of sizing apparatus disclosed,

the shaft 3 is provided with kicker wheels A: at spaced intervals in the length of the shaft, and itvvill be understood that one oi my novel upedgerswill be employed in association with each 01" the kicker wheels at, each upedger 8 being. arranged, to encounter apples before the apples reach the kicker wheels 4:, complementary to said upedger as is clearly brought out in Figures 1 and 3.

.WhileI prefer the specific embodiment illustrated I do not desire to be understood a s limiting myself to the same, my invention being defined by my appended claims w thinthe scope of which modlhcations may be made Without departure from my ,invention. 7

I would also have it understood that while as hereinbefore indicated my improvement is designed more particularly for handling apples and tangerines, the improvement may be used to advantage 1n the sizlng of other non-spherical fruit elements.

. Having thus described he invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Iietters vPatent is j 1; In a frult sizer, the combination .a trough, spaced gaglng ande ectlng means,

a sizing belt, and-gravitational means for and other fruit elements on the sizing belt ing and ejecting means.

ejecting means, the said gravitational means being in the form of a flexible device suspended. from overhead means, and'having a lower weighted over fruit elements. V r

8. In a fruit sizer, the combination of a trough, spaced'gagingand ejecting means,

a sizing belt, and gravitational 'means for portion arranged to Wipe hearing. on and frictionally engaging apples and other fruit elements on the sizing belt before such elements reach the gaging and ejecting means; the said gravitational means being in the form of a flexible device suspendedfrom overhead means, there being one oi said gravitational means tov each gagi. In a-fruit sizer,.the combination of a trough, spaced gaging and ejecting means,

a sizing belt, and gravitational means for bearing on and trictiol'ially engaging apples and other fruit elements on the sizing belt before such elements reach the gaging and ejecting means; the said'gravitational means being in the form, of a flexible device suspended "from overhead means, and having a lower weighted portion, there being one of said gravitational means to each gaging and ejecting means.

, In a, i ruit sizer, the combination of a trough, spaced and e ectingmeans, a sizing belt, and gravitational flexible .uevices suspended from above torbearin'g on and frictionally engaging apples and other fruit eiementsbefore such elements reac the gaging and ejecting means.

i 6. In a fruit sizer, the combination of a trough, spaced gaging and ejecting means, a

sizing: belt, and gravitational flexible devices suspended from above for bearing on and j trictionally engaging applesand other fruit elements before such elements reach the gaging and ejecting means, therebeing 'one of said devices to each gaging and ejecting means. 1

7. In a fruit ,sizer, the combinationof a trough, spaced gaging and ejecting means, a sizmg belt, andgravitational flexible devices suspended from a'bove for hearing on and frictionally engaging'apples andother fruit elements before} such elements lreach the gaging and ejecting means, and having iowerweighted portions. j H i o 8. In a fruitslzer, the combmation of a trough, spaced gaging and'e ecting means,

a sizing belt, and'gravitational fiexiblede other fruit elements on the sizing belt before such elements reach the gaging and ejecting d scs.

10. In a fI'L11t'S1Ze1,tlIe combination of a trough, spaced gaging and ejecting discs, and gravitational flexible devices for bearing on and frictionally engaging apples and other fruit elements on the sizing belt before such elements reach the gaging and ejecting discs, there being one of said gravitational flexible devices to each gaging and ejecting disc.

11. In a fruit sizer, the combination of,

spaced gaging and, ejecting means, means for moving apples and'other fruit elements below said spaced gaging and ejecting means, and flexible suspended devices, one to each gaging and ejecting means, for wiping over and upedging apples and other fruit elements and bringing about spinning of apples and other fruit elements and assuring gaging and ejectionof the apples and other fruit elements on the maximum diameters thereof.

12. 111 a fruit sizer, the combination of spaced gaging and ejecting means, means for moving apples and other fruit elements below said spaced gaging and ejecting means, and flexible suspended devices, one for each gaging and ejecting means, for wiping overand upedging apples and other fruit elements and bringing about spinning of apples and other-fruit elements andassuring gagingand ejection of the apples and other fruit elements on the ,max'imum diameters other 7 diameters thereof, each of sa d devices thereof, said devices having lower weighted portions to engage fruit elements.

13. In a fruit sizer, the combination of spaced gaging and ejecting means, means for moving apples and other fruitelements below said spaced gaging and ejecting means,

and flexible, oscillatory, weighted devices,

one to each gaging and ejecting means, fruit for upedging apples and other elements, and bringing about spinning of apples and other fruit elements and assuring gaging and ejection of the apples and other fruit elements-on the maximum diameters thereof, said devices being in the formof bags with heavy material in the lower portions thereof.

14. In a fruit sizer, the combination ofspaced gaging and ejecting means, means for movmg apples and other frult elements below said spaced gaging and e ecting means,

and suspended gravitational oscillatory devices, one to each gaging and ejecting means, for upedging apples and other fruit elements, and bringing about spinning of apples and other fruit elements and assuring gaging and ejection of apples and fruit elements on the maximum being in the form of a flexible strip of material, the lower'portion of which is provided on its side opposite the fruit elements engaging side with a weight.

15. In a fruit sizer, the combination of a trough, a sizing belt, spaced gaging and ejecting means, a longitudinal portion located in a plane above that of the trough and sizing belt, transverse supports carried by said portion and located above the trough and sizing belt and spaced apart, and .gravitational oscillatory flexible upedgers con-- nected witha'nd pendentfrom said supports and having comparatively heavy forward portions to wipe over fruit elements. i V

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. I

' EDWIN WAYLAND. 

